Trechula
by Robert M de la Torre
Summary: A story of a young Spanish maiden, who refuses to marry the vampire known as Don Trechula. Her curse transforms her into a hideous creature, lasting four hundred years. A marine biologist, finds her at the bottom of the sea in a sunken English ship.


TRECHULA

Author

Robert M. de la Torre

**Books by Robert M. de la Torre**

**Short Stories**

Tata Woo Spiders Walk Faster

The Green Shutters Dreamin Blue

Captain Lime Always Walking Barefoot

Miki Stooflees Beyond the Tulips

Fat City Mouse Jack Sleeps in the Park

The Ape Mine Panhead Fred

Caterpillar Swing Ichie the Fly

Landy Zero Jonnie the Scarecrow

Son of the Phoenix

**Trechula. **Copyright 2010 by Robert M. de la Torre. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. For information address TattleTales 437 Cougar Way 2B, Beaumont, California 92223.

Illustration cover design by Precious Ortiz.

Special 20th title written by Robert M de la Torre

**TRECHULA**

The bubbles from the air tanks surfaced like rising balls of transparency, bursting at the surface of the salty ocean, indicating that Ralph was still alive. I prepared the hoist and made sure there was plenty of time left on his air tanks, then slowly pulled him out of the deep blue, where he had been for two hours. The cable on the hoist was taught and made a popping sound as it lifted the cage that Ralph was cradled in, studying the bottom of the sea for traces of the wreckage of the 'Poison Gull', that had been missing for many years.

Our voyage to the Indian Ocean was a long and tedious one, fighting the treacherous storms and giant waves that battered our ship, as we searched for this place, that we were certain would unveil the wreckage that took over twenty years to discover, there were still remains of it resting peacefully at the bottom of the sea. Ralph was tugging on the line that was lifting him up to the surface and I knew that he would have plenty to tell us once he was on deck and out of his suit again. The bubbles from his air tanks came up more rapidly than before, telling me that he was getting closer to the surface. I was becoming more impatient for his arrival, knowing he had to come up slowly, avoiding the bends that could cripple him if he surfaced to fast.

The cable from the hoist froze for a moment, then let loose again and I could see it moving, the salt water dripping from it's length as I looked for signs of Ralph to appear from the depths of the sea. The cage that kept the sharks from tearing him to pieces appeared through the glistening water, and I could see Ralph in the middle with his face looking up, anticipating the sight of the blue sky again. When I looked at my watch, I noticed that he had only four minutes left on his tanks, and was glad we kept our watches synchronized. Ralph's eyes were wide and I could tell that he had found what we were looking for. We had finally hit the spot on the map, that led us to the 'Poison Gull', a merchant ship from the fleet of the English that had sunk by the cannons of a Spanish galleon. I had the cage door open for Ralph to exit and climb aboard the 'Seeker', I could tell that he was anxious to give me his report for what he had discovered, a ship that had been sitting at the bottom of the sea, where she rested for all those years.

Ralph was exhausted from the ascent up from the wreckage, where he had spent the last two hours. I could tell that he had seen something down there that no man had ever seen before. The visibility level was very low, pitch darkness, without the light he had to guide him through the murky water, he would have been totally lost. At the bottom of the sea, sat the 'Poison Gull', a ship with a thousand stories about her, and now Ralph was about to tell me what he had found at last. We sat on the deck of the 'Seeker', the two of us, and he began his story about the sharks that had tormented him when he had to leave the cage to try and enter the hull that had been hammered by Spanish cannon balls, which had created an opening for him to enter into, just wide enough for him and the tanks that kept him alive while he ventured inside.

I helped my colleague take the helmet off of his head and could hear him breathe heavy with excitement, as he spewed out the words to tell me that he found the 'Poison Gull'. Ralph struggled out of his suit and sat down with his head between his knees and began to explain what it was he found at the bottom of the murky sea. The sharks he said, were no less than fifteen feet in length, and had continuously attacked the cage, gnawing at the steel bars that kept him from being devoured by the predators with their black cold eyes. His blood ran cold when the light revealed the hull of the 'Poison Gull', and he told me how he climbed through the opening that the cannon balls had made.

The barnacles made it hard for him to see, the cannons that still laid on her deck, and the mast that had been torn in two was splintered beside the wreckage. Hard thoughts came to his mind, as he visualized the battle that took place on board the merchant ship, fighting off the Spanish that had taken over its crew. The ghostly remnants of its booty, laid strewn about the deck and hull, and he saw how feverishly they must have fought to keep it from the hands of those who sought to steal them. A scabbard lain on the sand of the bottom of the sea, near the wreckage, with the skeleton of one of its mates clutching on to its handle, as if it were the last thing on earth to keep him alive. Many of the other skeletal remains were discovered and an eerie feeling came over him, as his eyes fixed on a trunk that was still locked and keeping its contents unknown to him, as he thought what the lock kept secret, what might have been inside its rusted tomb.

Bottles of the spirits were scattered about the wreckage, with the corks rotted from the salt water, and Ralph imagined the beverages that they drank, that kept them toxic on their voyages. A crusted coin, that had not been covered all the way, shined back at him, when the light hit it at a certain angle, when he picked it up to study it. Its weight was a sign that it was gold, and he searched the wreckage for more of it. His heart ran cold as he was nudged from the rear by a huge shark, as he kept his mind from their presence for a moment. A manta glided past the wreckage with even grace and the silence of its arrival was a shock to him as he reached out to touch it.

The object that Ralph described to me was the most fascinating of them all, he had found a box that was intact and the seal had not been broken. I asked him why he left it there, with the other things that he discovered from the wreckage and he winced in pain and found it hard to speak the words that were written on it. I let Ralph come to his senses and gave him a pen and paper to write the words that were etched on the outside of the box. He looked up at me and shook for a moment, then scribbled out the words that I myself had a hard time digesting, he wrote, "Yo Soy Trechula", then dropped the pen and handed me the paper and shook violently.

I left Ralph to recover below deck, and he slept for two days straight until he awoke and came back to the ship's deck again. The time that he had been asleep, gave me a chance to search book for the word 'Trechula'. My search had paid off and I received information that told me what and who this mystery was. In 1640, a Spanish maiden had been taken in by a mythical vampire, who cursed her for not marrying him. She sought revenge for her curse, and Spain was haunted by her for two decades, until the curse was lifted from her. 'Trechula', a half human, half spider, with four legs and four arms. She was believed by the villagers near 'Torreadora' that her victims would suffer the excruciating, painful death of having their brains sucked through their ears, while she poisoned them with her venom, leaving them paralyzed while she devoured her bloody feast.

Her victims then became her servants and tended to her insatiable needs, while catatonic and in a zombie state; the living dead.

I made a report of what I had found and let Ralph read what I had discovered, when he finished, he said that we should leave the place where the 'Poison Gull' rested and head back for home. I found out later that the Spanish wanted very much to rid themselves of this 'Trechula' creature, and they had a plan to give it to the English. In the log that the captain wrote, he described a sailor who had found out the ship's contents and was later hanged for letting out the secret to his fellow crew members. When the Spanish realized that their English enemies were wise to the plan, they ordered the 'Poison Gull' sunk and all of its cargo.

It was Ralph that saw the stone coffin that 'Trechula' laid in for all those years that had passed, imprisoned in the tomb at the bottom of the sea, and he could feel her beckoning him to let her be free again.

Placed on the table next to my bed, I put the book that Ralph had found and kept it there, until I was ready to read it in full and except what was written inside of it. It were as if it was a manual, for those who were ready to experience the horrors of what it was all about. I sipped my coffee and smoked until three that morning, looking out to the sea, maybe there would be the answers I was looking for. Ralph wanted me to make a decision, however, I was not ready to decide the fate of ourselves, at least not that morning. My winch was not strong enough to haul aboard a stone coffin that contained a monster, and I wasn't sure that I was ready to see what it was inside of it. I studied Ralph and saw that whatever it was, had its power working on him. He slept maybe an hour and sat at the starboard looking into the water, transfixed and helpless. This thing was pulling him in, and I had to stop it from taking him any further than he already was.

We prepared the suits again, this time I would go with Ralph to the bottom of the sea and study in greater detail the ships wreckage. I needed him to show me where the spot was, that he found the coffin, to see if we could take it aboard our boat. The 'Seeker,' small in size, could handle two tons of cargo, so I was sure that the stone coffin wouldn't be to much a burden on its hull. I prayed that morning for the safety of the two of us, and we would not use the cage this time, but our shark sticks to fend off the predators that would swarm around us. I looked at Ralph to make sure he was prepared for another dive, then we both checked our air lines and sunk down into the ocean, disappearing inside its black depths.

Like Ralph, I was infatuated with the idea of bringing the 'Poison Gull's cargo up to the surface and see what we could salvage from it. The gold for sure, according to Ralph, would wield over a million and a half dollars in the market, and all we had to do was haul it up and take off back to Jamaica, where we both could easily retire and spend the rest of our lives in luxury. Though the 'Seeker' was a seaworthy boat, I would want to sell her and buy another one like her, newer, with more modern equipment. We had plenty of air line for what we were going to do and I made sure the hoist was well greased for our ascent when we finally found what it was we were looking for.

I kept my thoughts from haunting me about this maiden, who had been cursed and believed that she would bring a fortune in itself in the museum, if she was not in fact rotted beyond salvage. An eerie feeling came over me, when I thought about exhuming her body from her stone coffin and wanted to abandon the idea of bringing it to the surface, leaving her to rest, where she had been for so many years.

The sharks were circling us like vultures on a dead carcass, we shot two of them with our sticks and that let us free of any threat of attack by them, while they fed on the bloody feast that floated in the water at least twenty feet away from us. The frenzy lasted until there wasn't anything left, and we made it to the ship's hull without any other worries of being eaten alive by them. The whites seemed to be satisfied and one passed by us, glaring in silence with its dead black eyes, as if to let us know that we were not alone down there. I could feel a coldness run through my veins, as we slipped through the opening where the cannon balls pierced the ship's hull, letting Ralph lead the way through the dark passage. I had to keep my thoughts free from the hoist jamming and not letting us have enough line to get to the stone coffin, where the maiden laid in silence. On our ascent the stone coffin would have to be secure enough not to slip from the harness I had made, to bring it up slowly to the surface, where Ralph and I could figure a way to get it aboard the 'Seeker'. An idea I had, was to fill two rafts up with the air from our lines, taking the weight of the stone coffin off of the hoist that was struggling as it was to bring up Ralph and I. We both would use the ropes to bring ourselves up to the surface that waited above the deep blue darkness.

The first sight of the ship's cargo strewn about the hull, was an eerie sight for my eyes. One skeleton of a sailor, had seemed to be smiling with the cannon he had operated sitting on top of him, as he laid there helpless, waiting to die, if he had not been already. Ralph showed to me, the cold coins that he had found on his first dive, and I studied them with my own eyes, unbelieving at first, that they were indeed gold. The coldness of my body was a tell-tale sign that we were at the depths of the sea, as far as we could go, and I shivered to think of the maiden laying in the stone coffin, and what my eyes would see for the first time in over three hundred years.

Its stone structure was heavier than I anticipated, and we quickly attached the rafts to it, hoping the air we filled them with would help us take it to the surface. Once I was sure that we were ready for our ascent, I gazed at the stone coffin again, hoping that our efforts were not in vane. Ralph and I signaled each other and we both left the 'Poison Gull', looking in all directions for the predators that would be waiting to catch us off guard.

I could see as we left the battered English ship, that our prize was rising slowly, passing us as we slowly came back up from the bottom of the sea. The excitement of it all made me feel a strangeness about the whole plan and I wondered twice if we should have left her in her dark silence resting in peace. Sharks began to swarm about us again, as Ralph and I escaped their jaws. I shot one and watched it spin around, twirling helpless as the others indulged in the feast of salt water and blood, and the carcass that once was a threat to us. Its black eyed stare made me quiver as it convulsed while it was being eaten.

The light of the sun shown through my helmet's glass, and I could see the stone coffin had already surfaced, waiting at the top of the water, bobbing with the waves that cradled it.

Ralph was already at the top of the water and his helmet was already off of him by the time I got to the surface. The waves were pounding hard against the 'Seeker', and I could see it was going to be a cumbersome task ahead of us to lift the stone coffin up onto the boat. A storm was brewing out to sea and we had to prepare ourselves for the hard hitting waves and rain that would crash down upon us. Ralph was on the boats deck by the time I had my helmet off and I was clinging to the rafts that held up the stone coffin from sinking back down into the dark waters below. Lightning had hit the 'Seeker', and I heard the thunder roll, while the coffin bobbed up and down furiously in the waves like a cork in half filled bottle.

We were in the center of the storm, I took refuge in the cabin with Ralph and we looked out our port hole onto the choppy water, watching the lightning batter the ocean furiously, as the rain came down hard on us. Realizing that we could lose our prize and possibly have to go down to the sea's bottom again, we both crossed our fingers and waited for the storm to end.

Exhausted from the tossing and turning, I found strength to secure the cabin door that was rattling on its hinges, the sound of the waves seemed like it would never end and the illumination of the lightning made it impossible to get any sleep. We both stayed up most of the night talking to one another, making sure that neither of us would lose our minds from the storms vengeance on us. I saw for an instance the stone coffin pop up from a wave, making me aware that we still had our prize, that we worked so hard to claim as ours. I kept thinking of what the maiden looked like, and almost could visualize her beauty while she slept, I almost felt a deep passion for her, while she tossed about on the ocean.

A gull was resting on our stern, and the sun was bright and hot, beating down on our boat the next morning. We both found a couple of hours of sleep during the tail end of the storm, and I could see the ocean was calm, Ralph made sure the hoist was ready to haul the coffin up to our boat, so we could place it on the deck and make our way back to Port Tuticorin. There was a piece of fruit left from the day before and I took it in me, savoring its flavor as it ran across my tongue. Both of us were near starvation, and we had to make it in before we were to weak to go on any further. The salt tablets were near gone and our water supply was minimal. Ralph looked pale, and I was beginning to worry that maybe he was becoming ill. We took most of what energy we had left and placed the stone coffin on the deck of the 'Seeker', then pulled up our anchor and headed for the mainland. Spotting more gulls, we knew we weren't too far away from where we were going, and I had the 'Seeker' set on course, then laid back and took the helm now and then, letting the computer do the rest of the work.

Raji would be waiting for our arrival at Port Tuticorin, our boats deck hand, that could not make it with us this time, a case of gout had him down. A young man in his twenties, Raji was the best deck hand any captain could have on his boat. I knew he would be anxious to see what we had brought back with us, and I could feel his anticipation, along with my own, to see what was laying in the stone coffin that had been there for over three hundred years. Port Tuticorin was coming into view, about ten miles from our location. The weather was never so beautiful, and I could feel that our voyage was going to pay off soon.

"Captain, what is it that you brought for me?" yelled Raji from the dock. I could see that Raji was still weak from being ill with gout, and also the eagerness to know what it was that we had brought with us to Port Tuticorin. He tossed the ropes to us and we secured the 'Seeker' to the dock, while Raji muscled himself on board to gaze at the stone coffin that laid in the center of the deck. Looking at me with much wonder, he gave me a smile with his crooked teeth and shook my hand and bid me welcome home again. I patted Raji on his shoulder and pointed to the coffin that Ralph and I took so much time to retrieve from the bottom of the ocean , where it laid for so long. Raji ran his fingers across the barnacles, making sure he wouldn't pierce his skin, and told me how he wanted to scrape them off as soon as we got it home.

The fruit he had brought with him I took with gratitude and swallowed down the pieces of its juiciness, looking up to the sun, as if it were my first meal in years. "Captain, my wife has planned a meal for us, come". he said with a smile. Ralph also had devoured the fruit, and looked up when Raji mentioned the meal his wife had prepared and we quickly secured the 'Seeker' then went with Raji to his home that was less than a mile from our dock. Raji knew that we were more than hungry, the sea it seemed did that to a man, my guess is that the salt water and the sun are the combination that does that. The storm had taken our supplies with the giant waves, leaving us little than nothing at all to eat on our last day. Raji peddled as fast as he could, looking back with a smile now and then, making sure we were still in the cart behind him.

The streets were crowded with people and animals everywhere, I could see how a bicycle was the best mode of transportation here in this port city where Raji and his wife lived. A commuter was blasting his horn at a man who's cow had decided to break in the middle of the street, leaving no room for car or cart to pass through. We waited until the man had coaxed his sacred cow away from traffic, all it had been nearly half an hour before the beast had decided to move itself. The man who tended the animal, left no pardon to us, as these beasts are sacred to the people and considered holy. Raji, picked up his pace again as he wobbled from his stand point and peddled to his home, where his wife awaited our arrival.

Reemi stood at the entrance to their home, underneath the trestle of vines that grew the most fragrant flower that I have never seen. She was young and smiled the same way as Raji, with teeth white and mouth wide. Her hair was black and shiny and was long, that draped around her neck , unbraided and combed. Reemi waited for her husband to guide us through the door where she stood waiting, smiling all the while we greeted her. Not shaking hands, she had held with both of hers, a bowl of fruit that she offered us. Ralph and I looked about the place where they dwelled and saw little furniture in their habitat. Beautiful shrouds hung from the ceiling to the floor in bright colors that were pleasing to the eye, and I noticed a fountain in the middle of the room, where our feast was prepared. Vines grew along the arches of the doorways and windows and I suddenly felt at peace with the surroundings I was now in.

Reemi passed the bowl around and we each took the fruit that was in it, I ate until I was satisfied then passed it along to Ralph, who waited to taste the unusual flavor of juiciness. She had prepared for us seasoned bread and chicken, which we ate until we were full, then drank from a flask a beverage that I have never tasted. As we sat beside the fountain that poured its flowing water, I couldn't help notice the pendant that Raji was wearing. I glanced at Reemi, who had the same pendant that he wore, and wondered if it would be proper to ask him about it. I noticed that its value would be worth as much as he made in a whole year and wondered where he got it.

Raji begged us to stay and rest for the evening and wait until the morning to go back to the dock where the 'Seeker' awaited us. Reemi made us a place to sleep and we all bedded down for the night, I was glad that Raji and I had met on the docks and happy that we were together once again. Ralph had already been fast asleep when Raji wanted to know more about the coffin, I smiled at him and said that morning would soon enough come and we would all have to take it off the 'Seeker', his eagerness to help me was overwhelming, as I slipped into a comforting sleep.

Reemi came to my mat and knelt beside me as I lay silent, studying her face, as the morning sun shone on her dark black hair, making it sparkle and giving it a kind of transparent look. I took the fruit that she offered me and savored its flavor; thanking her and smiling back. "Did you sleep well Captain?" she asked me. I rolled back on the mat that I slept on and felt good inside, thinking about the stone coffin, and my beautiful maiden who slept silent in it. Reemi held a flask with water and offered me drink from it, then placed it before my mat and walked across the room. I studied her body as she moved gracefully, peacefully and with the poise of a maiden herself, then caught myself dreaming, while I heard Raji ask me if I was ready to go to the dock. Ralph had been waiting and was already freshened up for the cart ride back to port and I hurried myself to get ready and join their eagerness to do a day's work that was ahead of us. Reemi had already began her chores and was not seen again in the house that morning, a morning that seemed to me a very memorable one.

I had to laugh at Raji, when he mounted his bicycle and told us to hang on as he began to peddle with much enthusiasm, heading toward the dock through the small town that he lived in. The smile in his face, told me that we were in for a good day. As early in the morning as it was, there weren't that many people like there was before, and I noticed that we had made better time traveling through the streets in the cart that Raji had made, to transport his customers from the places they needed to go to. Raji earned extra cash as a taxi driver, and the rest of the money he made on the docks, cleaning boats and helping short handed Captains on their fishing excursions. I met Raji one day at port and I knew he would make a good ship hand the day I met him. He was prepared to work and do whatever it took to help out, so I hired him on the 'Seeker' and made him a deck hand.

I could see the water as we moved around the tallest building in Port Tuticorin. I had spotted many people, who had assembled around the dock where the 'Seeker' was, and noticed that they had been praying. The look on Raji's face told me that there was something wrong and I had hoped that the coffin was intact and not tampered with.

Raji dismounted his bicycle and Ralph and I got out of the cart, while Raji started asking some of the people what they were doing, and why they were so interested in the 'Seeker' and its contents. I tried to decipher the Hindu language the best I could and made out that they believed the 'Seeker' was cursed. I heard Raji ask them why they had thought so and one of the men, who's face was terrified told him that they had seen the stone coffin glow in the night, and were frightened of what was inside of it. Ralph looked at me with a secretive stare and I was afraid of what he might be thinking. I knew that the maiden had been sleeping for over three hundred years, and wasn't about to make myself believe that she was beginning to awaken.

My thoughts shifted to the place where we would take the coffin, and start to exhume its contents, while Raji chose several men, who had been praying at the dock; to help us take it to the final resting place and spot where the maiden could rest for another three hundred years. A truck had pulled up in front of the dock and the driver sat inside, not wanting to leave the vehicle, while he waited for us to load it up. Several of the men had already climbed aboard the 'Seeker' and were waiting for my instructions, while Ralph showed them how he wanted them to attach the straps on the stone coffin. The men on the docks were kneeling, praying while we secured the coffin for the hoist to lift it up off of the deck of the 'Seeker'. As the chanting grew louder, I saw that Raji was becoming nervous and his exuberance was increasing as the stone coffin floated in mid-air, as the hoist took it higher and higher. The men held her from swaying and tilting, while the wooden dock waited below for the coffin to settle on.

One of the straps had slipped from its hold and I could feel my heart race as the coffin began to tilt to one side, while the men frantically held it up in position, so the others could secure it again.

From the top of the deck I looked down at the stone coffin, and was relieved that it had made it from the 'Seeker's' deck to the dock safely. Raji smiled at me and assured me that everything was going good, and I smiled back at him to let him know that he had done a good job. He had once again proved to me that he was the best deck hand a Captain could have. Ralph was sweating profusely and I think he must have consumed a couple of quarts of water, before he was able to think straight and continue with the transport of my beloved maiden.

I saw her face looking up at me from her resting place, her dark eyes closed, with eye lashes covering most of the lids on each one. Her hair had been braided, the way I visualized her. I noticed her gown that she wore, was silken and transparent, not leaving her breast for my imagination, and revealing to me what I had only thought of in my mind. Ralph had called out to me, and I woke from my daydream, sweating and anxious to get the coffin loaded on the truck; that would take her to Kaatmir, where we could finish what we had started out to do and once again, leave her to rest, while we went for the gold and the other treasures that the 'Poison Gull' had in its sea wrought hull.

The driver waved to me with his gold toothed smile, and as the truck was put in gear, I waved back at him; telling him to take his time and use caution on the rain soaked roads to Kaatmir. His skinny arm waved back to me as a few men hopped aboard his truck, then I turned to Ralph and Raji for his instructions, that would tell us what we were to do next. An old pale blue car had been waiting for us and was ready to take us to Kaatmir. The truck that had the coffin it was carrying had not been too far ahead of us and we caught up to it in no time at all; following its lead, taking us to my maiden's resting place in Kaatmir.

The temple stood out and I could see the huge structure from a quarter mile away. Raji and the new crew, paused for a while on the side of the road to pray, while Ralph and I took in the view of the incredible structure of Kat Kindar, at least a thousand years old, the temple kept the tradition and culture of the people in Kaatmir preserved. Fourteen kilometers from Port Tuticorin stood this temple of ancient past, and the new home of my maiden, many miles from Torreadora, Kat Kindar, would be the place where we could keep her coffin from thieves and vandals. I looked at Ralph who was still in awe over the spectacle, and gave a nod of approval, that this place was indeed sufficient for 'Trechula', whom we saved from the bottom of the sea.

Raji had wanted me to see the room where we would keep our maiden and there, the researchers could study her coffin and the contents within. I had to take notice of the statue that stood in front of Kat Kindar and became fascinated with the likeness of the creature that I read from the book that Ralph found inside the hull of the 'Poison Gull', that described 'Trechula' as having four arms, which the statue had also. What came to a shock to my system, was the pendant that Raji was wearing, a similar figure, that he said was sacred to his people. I tried to add this all up in my head, and was left stymied at the coincidence of the three things that came to be. I tried not to let it stick to hard in my mind, and let it go as just that, a coincidence, perhaps maybe I was also to think that there was a correlation between them.

The room where we were to set the coffin down, was not very large, and the walls were adorned by paintings that had worn some over the years. I had spotted the same figure as the statue outside of the temple and a chill ran over my entire body. This was indeed, the place where my maiden would rest, until after we had a chance to find out what she looked like inside there. The room had a stale odor about it, and a scent of incense covered the air. On the stone slab that we would lay the coffin upon, I saw etched in the stone legs, the same figure as the creature the book described.

The men were anxious to take the coffin off of the truck, and I was also getting a bit apprehensive, especially when I kept thinking of the likeness in their sacred statue. Ralph guided the men to the place where Raji and I had been earlier, and instructed them to the room where they would place the stone coffin. It had taken nearly two hours of struggle to get the heavy stone, laden with barnacles up to the top step. The men were sweating and twice, nearly dropped the coffin from the weight of it onto the stone steps, that would have damaged or chipped them , if it had fallen down. I gave the men their pay, and one by one they climbed back up onto the truck; the man who drove smiled at me and waved with his gold teeth shining back at me. I watched them all fade down the rain soaked road, until they had been out of sight.

Ralph had already been chiseling at the barnacles, that were attached to the lid of the coffin, trying to unveil the words that had been etched in it. I had seen the worn printed words come to life, as he worked the tool he was using; that chipped away the barnacles which uncovered the name 'Trechula'. I drifted off and started to visualize the maiden, which had me transfixed. She laid in her deep sleep, thinking of me, and I was admiring her beauty, like the vampire beast, that wanted so much to marry her. Her thin, full lips, cracked a bit to speak, said my name as I touched the tip of her long and fragile hand. She had me in a trance, as I viewed her body, that was young and pure, untouched by any human. I had to pull myself from her magnetism and keep from thinking about her beauty.

I was in trance, when Ralph called out to me. I had to focus on his voice and listen carefully to what he was saying. Raji, had been trying to get my attention for some time, and he could see that I was not coherent.

The lid was heavier than I had anticipated, it had not been open in over three hundred years, and it seemed that it was almost sealed with time and the barnacles that grew over it. Raji pried open the corner, and had its weight on his shoulder with the metal bar that was bending from the stress. I had not seen so much eagerness and willingness, as much as he had demonstrated to lift the lid so we could view its contents. Ralph saw his struggle and helped him to slide the lid further away from the corner, and a stench had produced itself from the coffin within. I covered my mouth, trying not to breath the dust that had been inside for so long and my eyes began to water. Raji held his hand to his pendant, looking at me, trying to ask me if I wanted to go further. Later I found out that his pendant he wore, along with his wife and millions of others who lived in India, worshipped Brahma, the creator. I respected his beliefs and wondered to myself that the four arms was probably needed to create the universe and all that it contained.

Ralph held on to the bar tight and I could see every muscle in his arms as he lifted the lid of the coffin higher, to slide it further away from the corner of it. I had grown used to the musty odor that the air contained, and was no longer afraid of breathing the dust of it. I could see the wrappings around the legs of my maiden appear at the feet, I pondered the thought of seeing four of them, however, there wasn't enough light in the coffin to reveal them.

The webs covered most of the body that was inside, and I was reluctant at first to clear them away, trying to preserve what we had discovered. I looked for spiders that may have built these webs, but again it was too dark to see what was inside. We sat back and studied what was visible to us, then the three of us uncovered the lid away even further from the crypts corners. I brushed away a small amount of webs, to see that the abdomen portion of the body, had been placed a crucifix on it. The hands were at the side of the body with a few pieces of the wrappings holding them in place. The mummy like person, who had been placed in the coffin, was small in size, maybe four and a half feet tall, judging by the feet from the head, which was wrapped also. After viewing what we had seen for about a half an hour, we decided to place the lid back in place, and leave the coffin the way we found it. We all three agreed that we had not the tools to carefully unwrap any portion of the body, and left it for the scientists that would come to do their job.

I did not want to leave my maiden at first, standing near the coffin I felt I had a duty to stay with her. It was Ralph who led us out of the temple, reminding us that we made a magnificent discovery. As I looked at the statue of Brahma, I finally could relate to the pendant and my thoughts of 'Trechula'. The pale-blue car had been waiting for us, and the three of us decided to get back to Port Tuticorin and the 'Seeker' to log in what we had just done. It seemed forever that we had finally made it back to the dock, where I entered in the computer all of the facts that we had on the treasure that we found at the bottom of the sea. Ralph loaded the pictures he had taken in the computer and we sent them to the National Oceanica back home, where they would write an article and unveil our discovery.

Raji was ready to go back to the place where we had found the 'Poison Gull' and take the gold and other things inside its hull, making me promise him that he would go there, as soon as possible. After tending to the 'Seeker', we all decided to go back to Raji's place, where Reemi would be anxiously waiting our arrival, then we would take off again in the morning.

Once we had arrived at Raji's house, I felt compelled to write a letter. I could not stand to leave her once again, knowing that I may not return from our voyage to the wreckage. Reemi gave to me a pen and paper, not asking to whom I would write this letter to my maiden. I had stuffed the letter in an envelope and sealed it, then gave it to Reemi and told her that if I did not return, to take it to the coffin and place it on the lid, where 'Trechula' would find it. She looked at me puzzled and with much concern as I handed her the letter with a straight faced gaze, then said that she would do what I had asked of her. At a moment I became tired and weak, I had not eaten food or water the whole day and my mind it seemed was slipping. The fruit ran through my body, like a surge of energy as I consumed the pieces that Reemi had sliced up for me. We sat on our mats and talked about the voyage most of the evening, until it was late, then each one of us took our turn to fall asleep for the night.

I thought of the 'Seeker' and the salted waters that we would have to travel to reach the spot where Ralph had discovered the 'Poison Gull's' wreckage. I knew that when the sea was in our favor, the boat would glide through the ocean with great ease, then I prayed for good weather and laid back down on the mat. I could hear Reemi in her Hindu chant and I listened for her words, that might have been familiar to me. It was good that she would come with us on our voyage and I felt a certain comfort knowing she would not stay alone again. Her cooking skills were needed on board and she was also a good diver and would be able to fit in the small crevices that Ralph and I could not enter. Her petite body was perfect for places in the hull that had caved in from the deck rotting over the years. Raji had met his wife off the coast of southern India on a job he took salvaging a wreckage that had been hit by a storm and sunk just two miles out from Port Tuticorin. She had answered the post on the dock, by saying that she was experienced as a pearl diver, then the captain of the boat that headed the expedition chose her for her size and ability to hold her breathe for long periods at a time. Raji who answered the post met Reemi for the first time at Port Tuticorin after the captain had introduced them to each other and since they both knew the ocean well, they made a good pair working together, the captain kept them on his boat together until the salvage of the 'Qaardar Ku' was finished. It was Raji who fell to her charm and beauty, then asked her to marry him just a few days after they met. Raji told me that the captain of the boat he and Reemi were working on, married them at sea.

I took over the job for Captain Kyles, he worked for over thirty years on the salvage teams that were sponsored by National Oceanica. After Captain Kyles was unable to work, due to asthma, the sea was all he knew and retired in his last years in Port Tuticorin. In his last days he wrote about his voyages in the Indian Ocean and I never had a chance yet to read about them. Since the ocean was my home, it was a blessing to have met Raji and his wife, though I would have loved to meet the Captain Kyles, I give honor to him and his work that he left me to do.

I kept my silence as I looked out from the portal of Raji's home and heard the trickle of water that flowed from the fountain that he had placed in the middle of his court. I sat thinking of my maiden and the ones who would be the first to view her, as I was out to sea. Though they would be the first to touch her beauty, I kept a positive thought, knowing that she loved me only. The sound of Ralph's voice awoke me from my trance, and Raji called to me and said that they were ready. The same pale-blue car that took us to the temple, was now waiting for us to load our provisions that we would take with us on our voyage across the ocean. I was ready to conquer the 'Poison Gull' with my crew, and had been waiting for years to do this.

The dock was full of people who gathered to bid us 'good luck' and hopes that we bring back the gold that had sunk with the 'Poison Gull'. Many were in prayer and I noticed all were dressed alike, as if it were a ceremony of going away. It took us nearly an hour to get to the dock, the 'Seeker' ready and cleaned for us to aboard her. Ralph took several pictures of the people who assembled for our voyage departure and was in awe at how many showed up. Reemi had already been aboard, making sure that the cabin was ready for occupancy by the 'Seeker's' crew. We took crates of food aboard and our supplies if need be would last us over a month, two weeks short of our plans to get what we needed and return. It had been the first time since I was Captain, that I had seen a woman aboard the 'Seeker'. Reemi was out of her robes and in short pants, wearing only her tank top and deck shoes. She shunned Ralph's camera and made it clear that she did not want to be filmed during the voyage. I looked at Raji, as if to apologize for Ralph's actions, but he just smiled and told me not to worry too much about it. With my head nodding, I assured Raji that his wishes were to be respected and hoped that Reemi would forgive him.

We had the weather in our favor, the waves were coming in less than two feet, and that told me that there would be small swells once we passed the sets of waves. The 'Seeker' was a good vessel and its design was meant for choppy waters, but I could see that we were in for a good passage out of Port Tuticorin. The sun shown bright over our heads and the gulls were circling above us, as if to bid us farewell. I looked out to the ocean and saw its horizon, and figured we would be safe from storms, being the red sky was at night before morning.

The 'Seeker' kept on course and took us out of the port city where we had been for the last two days. Taking the coffin to the temple was hard work, and I knew there was plenty more ahead of us. Dolphins lead us out to deep waters and followed the 'Seeker', then after a mile or so, they relinquished the ocean to us and hid from view under dark water, leaving only the wake of bubbles from the boats propellers that we could see behind us. One gull that had flown above circled our boat, then disappeared into the sun. Ralph chummed the waters with sardines for fish we would catch and eat for our supper that night. We hoped to catch up with a tuna run before sundown. We had caught an abundance of perch and some yellow-belly in our net, but Ralph preferred using his deep sea rig for the tuna. After seeing that the crew had every thing in order, I went under the deck to the cabin and rested, while they prepared themselves for another dive.

I woke to the smell of tuna cooking on deck, where Reemi had set up the stoves for cooking. She had a special way of preparing the catch with seasoning she used for her yellow rice and bean curd. After I had enough of the delicious tuna and perch, I charted the boat for the latitude and longitude where we had discovered the 'Poison Gull'. The 'Seeker's' computer would do the rest of the work and all we had to do was wait. We set no markers out, incase another boat would see where we had been. I didn't want others to know what lied beneath the sea and pirate our treasure that we worked so hard for. Raji made sure all the air lines and cables were tangle free, and he checked the cages for any damage the sharks had possibly made before. I made a careful check on the hoist to make sure the motor was well oiled and set the drag for the weight of two people in the cage. Ralph wanted to go alone, being that he wasn't used to another diver in the cage with him. He felt that he could be more observant and cautious if he was left by himself. I knew Raji would want his wife with him, in case anything went wrong.

I heard the alarm and went to the boat's computer to see where we were at. The 'Seeker's' motor shut down and we drifted a few yards before our anchor set. The quiet calmness of the sea was the only thing we heard, until Raji called out to me and asked, "Are you ready Captain?" Ralph wanted to go first, he had been the one who found the wreckage and I owed it to him to find it again. As he entered the cage, I nodded my head and told him to find the 'Poison Gull'.

A thumbs up told me he was getting his oxygen, so I let the hoist down with the cage attached to submerge itself in the ocean. I would engage the vacuum pumps as soon as I got a signal from Ralph once he found the gold coins, that he had found before. I knew Ralph would signal me if anything went wrong. I dreaded the fact that he had to leave the cage to enter into the hull of the 'Poison Gull'. The sharks had been the worst part of it all, and it terrified me to think of one attacking without warning like their nature. I had to shift my thoughts to more positive thinking. I waited for a pull on the line, and hoped that it was the signal that he found what we were looking for. The bell would alarm me when Ralph signaled, so I prepared Raji and Reemi for their descent to the wreckage. They had been waiting and ready to enter the second cage to meet Ralph who would be waiting for them to show the entrance in the hull where they would pass through. Once they were in the cage, I knew that I would be alone on the deck, waiting for the vacuum to bring up the pieces of gold that they had found. "We're ready Captain", shouted Raji. I let the cage down slowly, until the water had reached to top of it, and waited for them to signal that they were getting air. Raji gave me a thumbs up and I let the cage lower until the both of them were no longer visible, then let the slack on the cable flow freely, I could see by the cable that they were descending gradually until they met Ralph. The bubbles surfaced and popped from their air line and I was relieved that all was going well. The air lines I designed made a tool for uncovering sand and small rock, even shell that covered areas that they needed to move to find what they were looking for. Their suits were pressurized for the deep sea, and the helmets they wore had radios so they could talk to each other while working. The air tanks that strapped to their backs could last up to two hours, before they had to surface. I rigged a coupling device from the air line so it would fit the helmet in case of dire emergency.

I knew it would be awhile before I received any signals from the three of them. I sat on the deck looking out to sea, focusing on the horizon and opened the book that we had found before. I read that 'Trechula's' true name was Ana Donna, her name by birth that her father gave her. I went on to read that she was raised by her father and must have been about sixteen years old when the vampire of Torreadora wanted to marry her. Her father's strict order was that she refuse to marry him, and that's when the vampire, known as Don Trechula put the curse on her and changed her into a hideous creature. 'Trechula's curse was to last for four hundred years, given the chance to change her mind and live forever with Don Trechula who existed for over a thousand years. Before she was cursed by the Don, she vowed to never marry. Ana Donna's mother died before she was two months old, she had suffered from arachnophobia, it was said that she had been bitten by a violin spider in her sleep. 'Trechula's father, a well known classical guitarist, became distraught over the loss of his beloved wife, and since her death, he never picked up a guitar again. Juan Casatillo, died in 1690 from tuberculosis and is buried in Torreadora.

Don Trechula of Torreadora a wealthy owner of the vineyards that produced the grapes for Torreadora's wine, is said to have thrown huge banquets, and invited the local residents of the mountain town to dine with him. He would get his guests well fed then have them drink until they were intoxicated and have them dance in his hall. While having a good time in their inebriation, he would have them listen to classical music and begin to mesmerize them with his charm and looks. Waiting for his victims to pass out from exhaustion, he would then take their blood and feast on it. When Juan Casatillo came to his banquet with his lovely daughter Ana Donna, the Don became infatuated with her grace and beauty and proposed to marry her. Juan Casatillo became outraged and insulted and left his villa in the mountains, saying he would never return.

I heard the bell twice, then saw that the bubbles from their air had still floated to the surface, each one with its own character. The two bells alarmed me that they had found the gold and were beginning to use the vacuum. I waited at the end of the tube and could hear the pump humming as it sucked up the precious pieces of gold. I became excited beyond comprehension as the first coin appeared. One after the other I could see them tumbling out of the tube into the box with little sand and shell following them. I pulled the line twice to let them know that the coins were being sucked up and I was receiving them. I could tell by the force of the pull on the line that it was Ralph communicating with me down there. The box was slowly filling up as they kept the coins coming and I sifted the sand away to keep the weight factor down. The coins itself would weigh in at nearly three hundred pounds, with the barnacles still attached to them. I picked up one of the coins and could see that there was still work to do. We would have to scrape each coin and free them from their barnacles, later I would have to have an expert do the rest to restore them. In a handful that I picked up, I noticed one coin that was Spanish silver, dated 1650. At first I thought that the merchants ship's cargo had only gold, and was surprised to see that there was silver to add to the prize and worth. I tossed the coin back into the box knowing that there would be more to surface and waited for the bells that would signal me to raise the cages. Reemi would find the other artifacts below and bring them up when she was finished taking what her baskets would hold.

Looking over the side of the 'Seeker', I spotted a very large great white circling the waters for seals and my spine started to tingle when I came to think about my comrades below having to leave the cages to enter and exit the 'Poison Gull'. Though there were many attacks on the cages by the huge predators, they were still intact enough and strong enough to offer the safety that my crew needed against them. I remember the times that I had seen them with their jaws wide open, large enough to swallow whole an average size man. I could see pieces of teeth that had broken from their powerful jaws, flutter to the floor of the ocean. I pulled my shirt off and soaked in the water and draped it over my shoulders to keep me cool. The sun was beating down hard and I could feel the heat penetrating my skin, The thought of climbing down the ladder for a swim left me, as I noticed the great white just a few feet away with its fin sticking out from the water and letting me know that I could easily become its feast in a matter of seconds. My head jerked back when I heard the bells, letting me know that my crew was ready now to make their ascent. I had adjusted the hoist and made sure that the cable was ready for the weight that would come slowly up to the surface.

The bubbles came up from the depths gradually, bursting their individual character and letting me know that things were going good. I wanted to be down there with them as they saw what others would have killed for. I was glad that we were the ones who sacrificed our regular lives and came here to find the treasures that lay for over three hundred years, and now in our possession, to let the world know what we had found. 'Trechula' my greatest prize would be waiting for us when we came back to Tuticorin and we could finally reveal the mystery of her sunken past.

I could see the cage slowly rising out from the depths of the deep blue sea. Ralph was looking up and ready to come out of the cage to tell me about the sharks and how they had come so close to him that he could smell their breath. Ralphs humor always delighted me, especially in the face of danger. His baskets were full of artifacts and most of them had been encrusted by the barnacles, which reminded me of the work ahead of us, scraping them off of our treasures from the past. Sticking out from the rummage of things he had found, I could see a helmet, English as it seemed, because of the shape of it. His humor still amazed me, as he held up a scabbard and was swishing it about, as if he were engaged in mortal combat with another sailor. I had to keep my mind on Raji and Reemi, who need air soon if I didn't hurry to get them up. I lifted the latch on Ralph's cage and watched him climb out from it, then pull himself up the ladder. Later, when Raji and Reemi were aboard we would take the haul from the cages and make our way back to Port Tuticorin.

At a moment when things seemed to be going good, the cable on the hoist froze and stopped pulling up the cage that Raji and Reemi were in. Ralph had already been out of his suit and in shock to see that trouble was with us. I pulled the lever back and forth to see if maybe it would free the jam of the cable and get it to move again. I struggled with this for about five minutes, and was getting scared to think of them running out of air. Ralph had already suited up and had taken two tanks and was ready to dive into the water to help them. I knew if he didn't act fast, they would surely drown. I hoped that they had ascended high enough so that Ralph wouldn't have to worry too much about the sharks without a cage. With my good arm, I rubbed the stump of my other and wished that I could help him. I flashed back on the last dive I took in these waters, not too far from where we were, and thought about the shark that had nearly taken my life. I prayed that Ralph could get the tanks down to them and not have to go through what had happened to me. Ralph's bubbles were a tale-tell sign that he had things in order down there, it wasn't long after he had dove in the cold water, that I had seen two more places on the surface of bubbles bursting on top of it. A sigh of relief came to me, and I waited for them to make the dangerous ascent back up to the 'Seeker', my rifle was loaded and ready to shoot the sharks that tried to get to close to them, as each one would be sitting ducks, waiting their turn to climb aboard.

Reemi came up first, she had been exhausted from sharing the air with her husband, holding her breath as they each took turns sucking in the life saving oxygen. Nearly two minutes later, we would have had to resuscitate her by mouth to mouth. As good of a swimmer that she was, she had to be hauled aboard by my help, it had been a challenge for her to save her oxygen and fight off the sharks at the same time. A few moments had passed and I could see Ralph and Raji, who were doing fine without help, except that there were several sharks circling them while they bobbed on top of the ocean, waiting for me and Reemi to help them up the ladder.

Raji had been smiling from ear to ear and he said with a short breath, "We did it Captain". I was proud of my crew and when they saw the treasure on the deck of the 'Seeker' they all agreed to go home, home to Port Tuticorin.

The 'Seeker' cut through the water, set on course back to the tip of India, where I would call my home until the mystery of 'Trechula' was solved. I read on in the later chapters of the book we had found and discovered that her curse could be lifted by the man she loved. I wondered who that man could be, and my thoughts raced in my head, that maybe I was the one who would do this miraculous deed for her. I pictured this lovely maiden and how beautiful she was, only to imagine further that maybe she had been asleep as this hideous creature that the book had described. No, I could not imagine my 'Trechula' as this, I had fallen in love with a maiden, not a monster.

They greeted us at the dock, and were all waiting to see what we had brought to the Port Tuticorin. The boats anchor was hardly set, and our ropes were already fastened by the time we were ready to un-board. They had already climbed up onto the deck and waited for us to show them what we had found. Our treasure would finally bring the Port of Tuticorin to life again, and they had already begun to celebrate this day of glory. Fireworks lit up the dark sky and the people were chanting in the streets. They wore colorful robes, and I could see them dancing in their happiness for us. Raji, had told me that a friend of his heard that the scientists from National Oceanica had exhumed the body of 'Trechula' and were waiting for us to have a look. The 'Seeker' had been unloaded and the people who were waiting for us, would take us to the temple, so we could bring the gold to her, and see what had been lying under the sea for over three hundred years.

The pale-blue car was waiting for us at the dock, I wasn't sure if I was ready for this event in my life, but the smile on Raji's face held me together. I didn't know if I wanted laugh out loud or cry. Ralph was ready, more than ever to see what he had worked so hard for. I looked over at Reemi, who offered me a piece of fruit and knew then that I was ready. Dressed in ceremonial robes, the people of Port Tuticorin looked on and chanted as we left the dock and proceeded to Kat Kindar, where my maiden slept peacefully.

Raji explained to me on the way to the temple that our 'Trechula' was believed to be the reincarnation of the Lakshmi, who they worshipped as a deity of wealth and good fortune. A godsend they worshipped in the temple, and a wonderful piece of luck.

As we arrived at the temple of Kat Kindar, I noticed there were people that gathered from all parts of the Port of Tuticorin and were chanting on the steps of the huge monolith. Many who greeted us, and gave us flowers as we stepped onto the grounds of Kat Kindar. The fragrance of perfume and incense filled the air, as we climbed the steps to the room where 'Trechula' was kept. We made our way through the people who were kneeling in prayer and chanting to Lakshmi, whom I had to except as her new name, a name I had never known before. Though I had never revealed her name to anyone but Raji and Reemi, and of course Ralph, who had retrieved her from the bottom of the sea, I felt compelled to do so. I wanted them to know who she really was, but how was I to convince several thousand believers who were in ecstasy when they lifted the lid on her stone coffin and then they saw her for the first time. How was I to know that Kat Kindar was the place where she would be revealed, out of all the places in the entire world. As I stepped in the front of her coffin, I became elated with the fact that she had been preserved after all those years, mummified and untouched. Her gown she wore, was transparent and silken, hand made by the hands who had buried her. My thoughts shifted to how she actually died, but I kept my eyes focused on the beauty that I had never seen before. I could see how they marveled at the discovery of such a creature and easily changed my mind on telling them out loud that she was 'Trechula'. As my eyes shifted from the various parts of her body, I began to tremble at the thought that she was made for me. I knew that she had found her lover, the one that would lift her curse and restore her once again to who she really was, Ana Donna of Torreadora.

National Oceanica and their counterparts, had been there at Kat Kindar, taking pictures and samples of her skin. She showed no sign of age except for a few wrinkles around her eye lids. It was as if she had not died at all, except maybe in a deep sleep. This curse that the vampire of Torreadora put on her, somehow seemed like it was not a curse at all, maybe true in the sense that he had preserved her miraculously, maybe for himself, because of the fact that he himself was to live for over a thousand years and wanted to set her aside for the future. Don Trechula, picked the most beautiful people to dine with and feast with, that was sure to be known, from the recollection of stories that the people told that lived in his village.

I could not take my eyes off of her for a moment, I was transfixed on her beauty, that was for sure. Ralph had seen that I had become infatuated with her and almost relished in my fantasies that I had told him about her. He wondered what a young maiden would want with an old sea captain, especially one with only one arm. I had to catch myself from thinking about her as this treacherous creature, who preyed on her victims for the sole purpose of her needs, and of course their brains that she would devour right from their heads. I wondered how she actually moved about, with the limbs being so much larger than her body. I shuttered at the thought of seeing her in this form of half human half spider. I knew that I wasn't losing my mind, there were over a thousand people that had gathered in and around the temple of Kat Kindar, to view her and worship her. I knew that I had truly fallen in love with Ana Donna, and it would be me that lifted her curse that she was under. It had to be love in the first place, if Don Trechula had loved her as I, then he knew he would have to preserve her and keep her in sleep until four hundred years past. Where was he? I had to ask myself, I would have to go to him and drive a stake right through his heart and kill him for eternity. I had to prove that my love was greater than his I thought.

Raji had covered his eyes, the brilliant blue light that hovered above the stone casket was glowing and a humming sound was heard throughout the temple, it couldn't be the chanting from the people who came to worship, but the light itself that became alive. I turned toward him and wondered if anyone else had seen the light that made itself present for the moment, then I turned as saw several people covering their eyes from its brilliance. Ralph saw it too, and a cold shiver ran down my back, as I saw Reemi kneeling with her head to the floor. She was awakening now, was my first thought, she wanted to waken from her sleep. It was a sign that she was alive, not dead or asleep. The way her venom would paralyze her victims was the way she had been for over three hundred years. Almost comatose, in a state of frozen life.

The flash from the cameras came in a flurry that seemed like a million candles. Everyone who had seen what we had, were in awe and mesmerized. Many who came fled the temple and ran from the place where they had worshipped. The beautiful Ana Donna, 'Trechula' was awakening from her sleep and we were the first to see her in all those years that had passed. The Spanish believing that they had rid her of the earth forever, sinking her to lie at the bottom of the sea, was now alive again.

The coincidence of 'Trechula's' awakening and Duwali were extraordinary. Regarded as one of the most important festivals of the Hindu calendar, the festival of lights it is called. Fireworks sounded as the day of October 15 began the new year. Reemi decorated the house with diyas and flowers, that adorned the gates and court. Candles were everywhere in the house, she had them in the windows and even the bathroom. In this festival of lights celebration the people worshipped Ganesha, the foremost of all Hindu gods, and Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth and prosperity. Exchanging gifts and fruits with friends and relatives and neighbors are the customary tradition for Duwali. The colors of the robes the people wore were spectacular, and a great joy for the eye to behold. I would partake in this celebration at the home of my friend and his wife, who risked their lives for me.

A call from across the room woke me from a daydream I was having, Ralph wanted to get my attention quickly, so he stood up and waved his hands, snapping his fingers loudly, smiling of course, he had been enthralled in the celebration and with the fireworks and all the talk, it had been hard for him to keep his composure and not draw alarm. A man from the temple who was keeping watch over the crypt, had told him to hurry and get there right away. I could see the trouble beginning from the look on his face that we had to leave as soon as possible. Reemi stood at the doorway, waiting for me to tell her what was going on, and at that time I had nothing to tell her but to get Raji and meet me at Kat Kindar. The man who had announced to Ralph the news about 'Trechula', was driving the pale-blue car that waited for us to leave.

Buhdva was the man that kept watch over the stone coffin in the temple, he told us on the way there, that she had wakened from her sleep and crawled out from the stone coffin and left the temple to a place somewhere in the jungle. When we had arrived, her silken gown was on the floor and the smell of danger was in the air. There were no people when we had arrived except Buhdva and a couple of men who were watching over her. They all had tried to talk at once and explain to me what they had seen. Unbelieving, as they tried to describe the creature that had them under her spell and helpless. A man who had not escaped the crowd, who must have been trampled, was laying in the corridor with the side of his head caked with blood. I noticed right away that 'Trechula' had to feast and was on the loose, searching for more victims.

Still in shock, I tried to imagine the most beautiful Ana Donna, as a cocoon for this creature, who by some metamorphosis had changed her into a monster that killed and ate the brains of humans. This Don Trechula, I had thought of was a monster himself, for cursing her in the way he did. I had to think of her as the way I saw her for the first time, or else I would go insane. Raji and Reemi had shown up with a few others, to hear what had happened to their goddess of wealth and prosperity. Still dressed in their clothing of festivity, they looked around and saw the terrified men, who had witnessed 'Trechula', leaving the temple.

They tried to calm me by giving me drink, something that tasted very bitter. I could feel the numbness in my throat as I drank the medicine and tried my best to comfort them by telling the story of her past. I showed Raji, the book that Ralph retrieved from the wreckage and they read some of the words that they could understand. Though I could not translate to their Hindu language, Raji knew most of what I had to tell him. The rest of the evening as the drug wore off of me, I heard them chant in the temple and could see Ralph trying to rest the best he could. I felt more calmness about me, and told them that we had to find her again, before she had to feast.

We left the temple of Kat Kindar once again, only this time to search for my maiden, who had entered the jungle in search of her victims. Raji, smiled at me with his big white front teeth, assuring me that we would find her. Raji, and Reemi, knew the jungle since they had been born and would find her, if any human could. I feared that a tiger would devour her, if she had not seen one before, but my thoughts transferred to her being half spider now, and knew that she would climb up high above the predators of the jungle. I was still wobbly from the drink they had given me, and had to shake the feeling and get back to my senses. Raji, gathered a few men for the expedition in the jungle and Ralph and I made ready for another search for 'Trechula' once again. Reemi, who had gone on several hunts for tigers, would lead the way, while we struggled to follow them to another place unknown to us. The morning seemed like it was taking forever for the sun to rise, the sound of fireworks could no longer be heard and now they prayed to another god for our safety.

I woke early, looking out the window and the flowers that Reemi had placed around it for the festival of lights. My mind was wondering about this expedition and how we were going to catch up with 'Trechula', who could be anywhere in that huge jungle out there. Ralph my best and trusted friend told me not to worry, that we would find her. Raji had his men outside, waiting for us to go and get our gear ready and to mount up on the elephants that were ready for us. I splashed water on my face and brushed up as fast as I could, ready as I could ever be, seeing Reemi sitting high on the lead elephant that would guide us through the thick and lush jungle.

We traveled slowly, my body swaying as the giant elephant took each stride, I had never been on top of an elephant before and I was getting use to the seat they had fashioned for it. The jungle we had entered was hot and I could feel sweat beading off of my forehead. I looked in all directions, searching high and low for any sign of my maiden, who had been transformed into the unthinkable. I was delirious from a mount of time that we had slowly traveled and I heard a voice call to me and say, "We will find her Captain".

The water cascading down the slope of the mountain, was good for my soul, I viewed a Bengal tiger in the distance below, from the trail we were on high above the stream that it was drinking from. Ralph focused his camera, and I could see Reemi stopping the lead, so he could take a picture of it. The jungle wasn't so eerie as it had seemed before we set out on our expedition. I was getting used to the elephants and they seemed to be getting used to me. The massive creatures were perfect for cutting through the places where Raji and Reemi were guiding us. My heart felt dearly for my maiden and there was no stopping me now, I was the one who was to lift the curse on her and I knew it all along. I had never known the sound of so many animals as the ones that I was now hearing, high from the treetops and low in the valleys. The silence of the jungle was calming and at times I could hear my own heart beat. The trees full of leaves, gave home to the many who lived in them, and I was to find out that we would have to call one our home, until we caught my maiden. I broke the silence for a moment to ask Raji how we would catch her, he turned to me and smiled. I then asked him how would we know where she was at hiding, he turned to me and said, "Don't worry Captain, Roojka will smell her".

We let the elephants break and drink from a small stream that flowed across the path that we were on. Stooping so we could get down from the backs of them, we let them wash themselves in the cool water. Their skin, sensitive to the rays of the sun, needed plenty of water, so we took the time needed to discuss the plan that Raji had in order to catch our 'Trechula'. A few of the men chopped stalks from bamboo for the cage we would build, small yet suitable for the size of prey we were looking for. The way it was designed was so that the bait would be centered on the bottom piece, and the sides, triangular in shape would fold up as the bait was lifted out from it. It was a clever device, and I thought that it would do the job well. My mind thought for a moment what my maiden would seek and a cold chill haunted me when I discovered that it was me, who would be used as bait. Laughter filled our camp, as the elephants took to the water for their drink and baths, I had to smile so that I wouldn't break down and looked over at Ralph who was trying his best not to laugh.

Roojka bent down so that I could mount her huge back, she was a very gentle creature and I had grown very much to like her and the way she followed my orders when I tapped her side, with the stick Reemi made for me to guide her. I tried not to think too much about me being the bait in our scheme to capture my maiden. I looked all about me and kept my mind clear of the thought that she could easily kill me if our plan didn't work. Our elephants kept a steady pace through the jungle and I could hear the sound of many birds, calling out to us that there was danger ahead.

We followed the stream it seemed for ever, a python with its huge body was draped over several rocks that sunk half way down into the stream that we had to cross. Not bothering to move at all, the huge reptile took in the sun and laid there with its tongue moving in and out of its mouth, tasting us as we passed by it. A small waterfall peeked out from some trees that were covering most of its view from us and I saw a bird that I had never seen before perched atop a branch that hung over the falls, never alarmed that we were near. The coolness of the air was a sign that evening was not too far away, we had traveled for nearly a day and what seemed like many miles was only just a few. Reemi looked up to the trees and watched for a place where we could be safe from the tigers that prowled at night looking for food. We would hang from hammock like beds suspended by the branches and I would learn to sleep like that until we found what we were looking for, the jungle had a way of keeping your mind off of your troubles I learned, and we hoped that luck would be on our side. Elephants kept themselves huddled in a circle like formation, the oldest outside and the youngest inside for protection. The massive beasts were not afraid of the night as I was beginning to be, they had a sense of danger like I did, but it seemed not to bother them too much. I figured a tiger would have to be crazy to attack the elephants, but it wasn't a thought too far from my mind.

The night brought many sounds from both the trees and the ground, I could feel things moving about us, but not to disturb us from our sleep. Once in awhile I could hear Raji snore, but he kept it to a subtle noise. We were suspended by the huge trees that we passed under during the day, a perfect canopy from the rain and wind. I was beginning to feel like I was part of the jungle now, even if it meant that I was to be used as bait.

I would never sleep on the side that my stump was on, I had always used my good arm as a pillow, which is what I had to learn to do, especially if I was to be comfortable. The hammock was a good tool for the jungle, and I was glad that it didn't take long before I was able to sleep on one. I could feel my eyes growing heavy, and I thought of Ana Donna until I was asleep.

The sun peering through the branches gave me my wake up call, and a feeling that I had been fully rested. It's warmth told me that it was going to be another hot day, it had been only an hour before we made it down from the trees, packing our gear, and preparing ourselves for a bath in the stream that waited for us. I had not realized when I was peeling off my clothes that everyone else was already in the stream, cooling and bathing before I had a chance to join them. At a glance I saw Reemi without her regular clothes and thought how beautiful she was, and how lucky Raji was also. She was not at the least ashamed to bathe with us and I had to get used to the fact that they were accustomed to bathe together in the rivers, without shame. I hurried to catch up and finish my chore, then dress myself. Ralph helped me with my shirt, to pull it over for me and button it, like he usually did, but Reemi nudged him away and took over the chore of helping me dress. Raji smiled and we began to mount up and get back to our search again.

The slow pace our elephants took, was familiar to me now, I knew exactly when to shift my body when the motion of the back went from side to side. It had been only an hour that we left our camp, when Roojka came to a stop and would not go any further. Raji made him bend down so he could dismount and walked a few feet in front of him and waved his hand for us to come and see. Roojka had smelled the large cocoon that 'Trechula' had made from a corpse that she feasted on. The woven ball of silken substance was transparent enough so that we could see the victim that was entwined in it. The face of this person, who had met his fate in the horrible death of being trapped like this, was that of a person who saw much horror. I knew that she had injected him with her venom and that he was paralyzed by it. She had left enough passage for air so that he could breathe and suffer the fate of a slow suffocation before she sucked the brains from his head. I knew that she would come back to her feast, before it was too long, she would want her victim to be somewhat alive so she could use him for her needs.

We cut through the cocoon and freed the man, that had been hunting in the jungle, we suspected that whoever he was, was with someone else, perhaps they had met the same fate as he did. By the time we had him free from his silken prison, he had expired. We buried him near the stream, a place where we thought he may have like to be, then left in a hurry to try and find traces where she may have been.

My heart raced as we slowly moved through the jungle, I thought to myself how hideous a death one could have died. Traces of vomit ran down my shoulder as I tried to hold myself in order. After a few more feet, I became sick and had to dismount, thinking of how I could be in love with such a monster.\

The coolness of the water revived me to my senses again, I looked straight up to the sky and saw a few clouds passing over us. Raji tried to encourage me to move forward and keep going, but I had to stay where I was until the time was right. I felt a sense of cowardly behavior come over me and I kept my head down looking at the earth that kept me standing upright. My legs shook as I tried to walk, but I kept my balance until I had finally collapsed, unable to go any further.

I found myself in the center of the cage, they had camouflaged the bamboo poles, hiding them from the keen eyes that would possibly see them at night and move away. The vine they tied around my waist, hopefully would haul my body up as the creature came in to feast on me, trapping her like the spider that she became. I was beyond delirium and wished that night would fall fast. They were in the trees, waiting, I knew that I was either insane with love or just plain crazy to be where I was now. Though I had not seen her face, the way that she was, cursed in all its hideousness, I thought to myself that she would still look beautiful, and I heard the birds above talking, as if to say to me, that it would not be long, before we were together. I was thirsty again, and bent to drink from the flask they had left me. The medicine would make the sight that I was to behold easier, and the water to keep me from dehydration.

My eyes watered and the sound of the birds were gone. I thought I heard Raji call to me and tell me not to worry. I could see Reemi smiling as the sun was going down, and I felt a calmness come over me, as the medicine took over my entire body. I have never felt the sun grow so hot, it seemed like I was a few short feet from its burning glow. I tried to shift my head so the rays that came in through the branches would not penetrate my face the way it was doing. For an instance I wanted to wipe the beads of sweat from my cheeks, but then my stump would only move for a short distance to them. My body started to shake as the coolness of the day moved forward, and I could tell that the day was coming to an end and the evening coming upon us. They hid well in the trees, all of them, I could not see any trace of my friends who were waiting for the time to come. I thought for a moment that maybe I could sleep, and when she came it would all be over.

'The Seeker' shifted as the waves came crashing over its deck. I held the helm steady as we rode the giant swells that made her sway from side to side. I was the Captain, a man from Missouri, who wanted to be a sailor when I was young. It was the sea that called me to my destiny, not a maiden who was cursed for four hundred years. I had to get back home, where I was born to be, the sea is what had born me, and I was born to the sea. Where was this maiden, whom I have waited for so many years now.

I lifted my head and looked around, the darkness was all around me. The broken silence, by a sound like a hissing snake, I could hear from a distance, moving toward me as I shivered inside, almost convulsing from the fear that I was feeling.

I heard a small branch snap under the weight of whoever it was that had stepped on it, maybe one of the elephants who were quiet and still. I made no sound and was motionless, as it came closer.

It was Reemi, coming to feed me a piece of fruit, so that I may not starve. She comforted me for awhile, then went off into the night, and I had wished that she would have stayed with me, and held my one and only hand.

An hour passed with dark silence all around, the jungle was sleeping again, and I could feel the dew falling on my head, as I kept myself aware of the things I heard around me.

My head jerked up straight, as I found myself drifting off to sleep, sleep I may not, or else I would die. She was coming now, the thought of death was real. I waited with the patience I had left, that kept me feeling alive. I could now feel her coming close to me, her sound of the spider, that crawled through the night.

I had no more thoughts of what she looked like, they had come to pass, its legs were moving rapidly with the quickness that held up her wrinkled black body. I could not see her face, if it were one at all. The smell of death was prevalent and she moved in for her feast. The creature I had saved from the depths of the sea, was now studying me, with its eyes piercing mine. She had me hypnotized and I could not move an inch. I was trying not to convulse with fear and looked away from her hideousness for a second, when she stepped onto the platform of the cage.

I could feel the vine close tight against my body, as my friends were pulling hard to close the walls in on her, and lift me to my freedom. I flew from the cage high into the air and could see the cage close in on her. 'Trechula' was screaming with anger, and I felt guilty beyond reason, that she had been deceived by me. Her arms swung about with fury and I thought that she might hurt herself with the rage she displayed to us. Raji and everyone else, had come down from the trees as I gazed upon the creature that I we had captured. Knowing that she was a prisoner in the bamboo cage, she became settled and knelt down to the floor of it.

Raji and Reemi and all of the crew that came with us on the expedition, began to chant to her and pray. I could not take my eyes off of this maiden and wanted badly to lift the curse on her, so that she would be beautiful again.

I couldn't stand to look on her like some circus animal, with all of us around in awe over what we had seen.

I lifted the latch on the cage, and entered into it, knowing that I might be taking my own life. 'Trechula', snapped to the top of the cage and held herself with all four arms, hissing and staring at me, as if she were going to kill me right then and there. I could feel her body covering mine, with her hands gripping me tight around my throat, her hideous face I had seen for the first time and began to cry out to my friends, who knelt chanting.

I struggled to free myself from her arms, but she had me tight and would not let go. I looked into her eyes and became paralyzed by fear when she opened her mouth to inject her poison into me. Her tongue like member scraped my throat like a serrated knife and I fell into what seemed like unconciousness. I held the back of her head and felt my lips kissing her, and collapsed to the bottom of the cage.

"Captain, you did it", I heard Raji's voice again and also I could feel the droplets of rain coming down upon my head. The jungle smelled of sweet fragrance and flowers were all around me. My eyes slowly opened and I could feel that I was alive. Ralph smiled at me and pointed toward my side, and as I looked over to see what he was pointing at, my eyes beheld the most beautiful sight I had ever seen.

Ana Donna laid beside me, sleeping from exhaustion, not knowing that the curse that Don Trechula gave to her, was now lifted. We waited for our maiden to awake, and they chanted again.

I looked upon her face, and it was as though a dream had come true, the book that I had retrieved from the bottom of the sea, was no longer just words from the past. This maiden from the 15h century, was now in the twentieth century, waiting to live again.

I picked up her hand and held it to my chest and slowly watched her as she began to wake up. Ana Donna looked around and had seen for the first time the beauty of the earth and all that dwelled in it.

The maiden looked at me and was still, silent without words, we waited for her to speak for the first time in over three hundred years and hear what she had to say. Reemi covered her naked body with a gown that she wore on her wedding. We stood her on her feet and held her balance for her and waited for her to say something to us.

Raji looked at me and was bewildered, not knowing any Spanish at all, he wanted so badly to hear the first words she had spoken. Ralph motioned for me to tell them that she was pleased to meet us. I could see the happiness in all of them. I knew that if I was to be this maiden's lover, I would have to brush up on her language. A few words I could decipher from a book, but her Castillan accent was far too much for me to interpret. At first she had to have us help her walk, like a baby walking for the first time, she would take a few steps then stumble. I carried Ana Donna to where the elephants were waiting for us, then helped her climb aboard our giant friend. Everything was a delight for her to see, it was as if she was re-born. I cried tears of joy, as we left the place where we had found her again. We slowly left the jungle and headed for Raji's place, where they would celebrate the birth of a goddess.

Ana Donna stood out from the cabin of the 'Seeker', she was preparing the boat with the provisions for our trip to Spain. I thought after a few years of being in India, that she would love to see her native land where she was born. Raji and Reemi had all the things ready for us to leave Port Tuticorin, we had plenty of time now that we were retired from salvaging wrecks and it was time we enjoyed the fruits of our labor. Ralph who had been my friend for many years had wanted to be back in the states again, missing the country that he had missed for some time now.

I had with me all that I needed, I had my beautiful wife and my two best friends. We also had our fortune, and our blessing from the people of Tuticorin.

It was exciting to leave India, and venture to a part of the world that I had never been to. We would port in places that others would dream about, and meet new people that we had never seen. It was in my heart to be sailor, and the sea was a part of me that kept me alive. I, Francis K. Bonney, would never be able to live through what I had experienced as a marine biologist, but I would have to say that the experience would never be relived.

We parted India and went out to the open Indian Ocean, the weather was in our favor and the course was set in the computer. Raji and I sat on the deck, while our wives prepared us a delicious meal. It didn't bother me to see the sharks that were circling our boat, once we set anchor. We didn't have to dive anymore, we had found what we were all looking for. I looked over at Ana Donna and saw her smile back at me. This was truly a dream come true, and I wouldn't have done it any differently. Raji was the best deck hand that any captain could ever have. He smiled at me and said, "I told you not to worry Captain". The dolphins who had escorted us away from port had now sunk into the deep waters. My mind kept me thinking of how Ralph was doing as we left the territory of India.

THE END


End file.
